Many organizations these days ask help from one another in implementing some of their projects. That’s why partner firms will meet with one another to talk about many choices and issues pertaining to their companies. Business meetings could take several hours or even a day or two before company officials decide on essential matters. On this note, it is crucial that you invest in catering that will please your clients. Good catering for business meetings can help build good relationships with your clients and suppliers.

Just like organizing any event, catering for meetings is rarely an easy task. A lot of things must be put into perspective. Such things that should be taken into consideration are the number of guests, their location, drinks and food to be offered, location of the venue, venue set-up and of course, the company’s budget. Smooth running meetings can take place when all things are evaluated. It is therefore important to follow these rules when catering for business meetings:

Number of guests. When catering for business meetings it is extremely vital that you take note of the number of people that will be participating in the meeting. Determining whether a small-group or a large-group will come to the meeting can help you look for venues that can fit all these people and also help you plan the menu.

Budget. Catering for business meetings may be quite pricey. That’s why it is crucial that you request for a budget that will be able to accommodate the needs of your expected number of guests. It is also essential that you spend this budget wisely on things that can make your business meeting a good one.

Location and time. Knowing the location is crucial as some of your expected guests may not be able to come if you choose a location that is too far from their offices. For the venue of the meeting, this could range from a small conference room in your company office or a more spacious function room at some hotel. Therefore, the venue size will depend on your number of guests. Also, knowing the time of your business meeting will help you with the catering preparation.

Food and drinks to be served. It is very important to have a well-planned menu when catering for business meetings, so knowing the number of guests to avoid shortage in food and drinks is critical. Also, there should be a variety of food and drinks so that your guests will have a lot of options.

Setting up. Once you already know the number of your guests, the budget allocation, the location and time and the menu, setting up for your business meeting is the last step. This entails setting-up the venue with decorations, tables and chairs and other equipment necessary for the business meeting.

Catering for business meetings is also demanding much like preparing for an important event if you don’t know where to start. It gives you plenty of control in managing the timeline and the meeting’s environment. It is a way in building a good relationship with your clients and suppliers. Remember the key aspects that you have to put into consideration when catering for business meetings: guests, budget, location and time, menu, and setting up. With all these in mind, you will surely have a business meeting that can smoothly run.

To add a little oomph to business these days, LO’s are turning away from the residential realm and focusing their efforts on potentially bigger fish – the commercial arena. Find out the differences between the two markets – from documentation to financing – and why you should line up to tap these unchartered waters. As a bonus, a commercial originator in action shares his words of warning before stepping into bigger territory.

With the subprime fallout, amped up regulation and a slowing residential market, many originators are feeling the squeeze of increased competition and fewer deals.

“Many brokers are making the transition into small commercial lending as a way to serve their existing clients better, and to branch out into a growing market,” said Reed Larsen, vice president of Homeland Mortgage Inc. and Homeland Funding Corp. “Many mortgage brokers have worked hard to build good relationships with their clients over the years, particularly with small business owners and self-employed borrowers who need the kind of expertise and the level of service that good brokers provide. These entrepreneurial clients often ask their brokers about commercial loans, and brokers would rather close those loans than send their hard-earned clients down the road to a competitor.”

What’s the difference?

While both residential and commercial brokers seek to find loan deals for individuals buying property, the methods to get these loans are very different.

Forms

According to Kristin Williams, of Silver Hill Financial LLC, residential deals all require the same forms.
“It’s very standardized,” she said. “1003, 1008, VOD, VOE, etc. But in commercial, each company has their own separate set of documents they require.” In commercial, the deals are all non-standardized and individualized.

Finding value

When it comes to finding comparable in the residential realm, Williams said it is usually easy and quick.

“Traditionally, residential properties are very cookie cutter so you can get several appraisals done very quickly — because there are so many comparable properties out there,” she said. “In commercial, buildings are extremely unique. Appraisal time takes much longer because it’s harder to find similar property types.”

This can lead to more complex, more thorough appraisals — up to 100 pages long — which can take up to four weeks and cost between $1,500 and $4,000.

However, in commercial, “traditionally, LTVs are very limited just because of the riskiness of the transaction,” she said. “They offer lower LTVs to lower their risk. About 75 percent, sometimes 80 percent is the highest LTV for commercial.”

Also, residential originators consider a borrower’s debt-to-income (DTI) ratio by assessing the individual’s personal income. In a commercial transaction, however, a debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) is assessed, which considers how much a property or business occupying the space must have to cover its debt.

In Silver Hill’s case, the following are considered ineligible properties and it would not provide funding: traditional churches, raw land and farms, construction, development, rehab and adult entertainment facilities.

It is best to ask your lender before continuing with the transaction.

How does financing work?

While traditionally, residential brokers can obtain funding with a local lender, LOs need to do a little investigative work to find the best deals for their client. What financing sources are available to commercial brokers?

Banks

“Traditional banks and credit unions are great at offering loans at very competitive rates for your higher-credit-score client,” Williams said. “However, they do have some specific guidelines of the types of properties and the loam amounts. Lots of times, the riskier the property type, the less opportunity you have at a traditional bank.”

Banks also charge a large good faith fee before the loan is even processed, sometimes upwards of $5,000.

SBA loans

SBA loans are multi-faceted if someone wants to pay for the building, business or equipment all in one. It is also good as a standard business loan to provide funding for disaster relief. However, SBA loans take a lot of time — up to 3 months — to finish and requires a lot of documentation.

Private/hard money lenders

Private/hard money lenders are the last-stop shop that is great for high-credit-risk clients, Williams said. They are also bankruptcy or foreclosure friendly.

“They get the loan done quickly,” Williams said. “However, the loan terms are the least favorable with extremely high interest rates — upwards of 15 percent — and the loan balance will come due at a very short period of time.”

There is also a lock-out period that freezes the client from refinancing.

Williams did say, however, that all small-balance commercial lenders have their own set of requirements and procedures and it is important to research them and educate the client before going forward.

Buddying up

Finding a good commercial lender may be easier than originators think, as many are reaching out to brokers — teaching them how to make the residential-to-commercial change and establishing referral relationships.

“As small business in America continues to expand, commercial lenders are reaching out to educate and train mortgage brokers on how to originate commercial loans both as a way to build a viable sales channel into the small commercial market, and as a way to leverage the good relationships brokers have already built with their entrepreneurial clients,” Larsen said. “Lenders are making it easier for brokers to make the transition, by simplifying the application requirements, providing classes, distributing marketing materials and program information, and coaching brokers through the commercial loan process from start to finish.”

Benefits of going commercial

“(Commercial) is the ideal arena for accommodating the skills and experiences of residential mortgage brokers,” said Joe Mardesich, president and CEO of Nationwide Commercial Funding, a national mortgage brokerage. “There are numerous advantages for being in the commercial mortgage business.”

Less sensitive to interest rates

The residential loan business is highly sensitive to interest rates, Mardesich said. The higher the rates, the lower will be the number of homeowners who refinance, take out equity loans or consolidate debt. And though the purchase loan business is still available, it may eventually slow if rates rise to a point where fewer people will be able to qualify as home purchasers.

In the commercial mortgage sector, however, rising rates do not have the considerable negative impact that exists in the residential mortgage sector.

“First, most commercial mortgages have balloon payments,” Mardesich said. “Most commercial borrowers have no choice but to refinance or to sell, regardless of where rates may be, every 5 to 10 years. Both selling and refinancing result in new loans, which of course. mean income for the commercial broker.

“Second, commercial real estate owners and investors make their money by buying, selling, exchanging, developing and refinancing. They don’t stop doing deals as rates move up or down. They find ways to have increased interest costs covered by their tenants or other end-users of their properties. Homeowners, by contrast, want to buy a place in which to live and must factor interest costs into their budgets. If interest rates put homeownership out of their reach, they will remain renters, tenants of those who utilize commercial mortgages.

“Third, as indicated above, rising rates can actually increase rental demand and revenue for the owners of apartments, mobile home parks, and certain other types of properties. The beneficiary is not only the owner, the developer of apartments, and the developer/owner of mobile home parks, but also the mortgage brokers who help to finance those properties.”

Growing competition in the residential mortgage business

According to Mardesich, more and more real estate agents are competing with mortgage brokers.

“The numbers increase daily,” he said. “With the Internet, people can shop online and have 5 or 6 lenders or brokers competing for their business with a mouse click. The loan products you and your competitors sell are all the same, because the secondary market is so consolidated in the residential industry. The residential mortgage business has become a frantic ‘commodity’ business, providing revenue to the lowest bidder.”

In the commercial mortgage business, however, the lowest bidder is not necessarily king. There is much less competition than in residential real estate. And there are many portfolio lenders who do not sell their loans to a consolidated secondary market, i.e. there are a great variety of available programs from one lender or broker to another. As a result, by specializing and developing a niche, you can develop a meaningful competitive edge, Mardesich said.

Less regulation in commercial

The residential industry is chock full of rules and regulations.

However, in the commercial mortgage business, you don’t have to worry about the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. There are no Good Faith Estimates. No TILAs. You can pay referral fees to anyone, regardless of the service they may perform. Yield spreads are generally not disclosed. Most states do not require any licensing for commercial mortgage brokers, Mardesich said.

The rewards of commercial

The rewards of the commercial mortgage business can be substantial, impacting income and lifestyle. Yet, comparatively few residential brokers are reaping the rewards that await them in the field of commercial mortgages.

According to Williams, commercial brokers who close with Silver Hill average a commission of $10,400, compared to the $3,000-$8,000 with a residential loan.

“Brokers know that the market is strong and growing,” Larsen said. “They see commercial lending as a great way to serve their existing clients better, provide a more complete array of lending products to new customers, and continue to grow despite the recent woes of the residential lending market. It has never been easier for a good residential loan broker to step up to commercial lending.

If you operate a business, regardless of whether it is a family business or a multi-national Corporation, you’re likely going to want to hold regular business meetings. This can really help you to regain the focus on your business and to make sure that things are moving along as expected. There may also be specific needs for these meetings that need to be considered as well. Of course, any successful meeting with your business is going to require careful planning on your part. Here are some things that you can do in order to make sure that your meeting is as successful as possible.

One of the most important things that you can do is to prepare properly by setting goals for the meeting. This should be done, even before the overall structure of the meeting is designed. In some cases, there are going to be some serious goals that need to be discussed, including some that are going to affect the business for many years. These should be discussed first, making sure that the focus is directed to that information. You should also set smaller goals for the meeting as well, perhaps asking yourself questions such as, what do I expect to get from this meeting and what should I accomplish?

If you’re going to be having the business meeting at another location, it’s very important for you to view that location in advance. Consider the fact that you’re going to want the attention of everyone that is at the meeting to be as focused as possible. If you choose an area that is cramped or perhaps too dark, it is likely that people’s attention is going to wander considerably. Take a little and turned to tour the area and to choose something that is going to be right for everyone involved.

Regardless of whether you are going to be all in the same location or if you’re going to be holding the meeting virtually, it may be necessary for you to have the sound and light system set up properly. In some cases, this can be done using your own equipment but in other cases, very specific types of AV integration may be necessary. Look for a company that is able to hire out their AV services and to provide you with the equipment you need to get up and running properly. Be sure that you keep the number of that company available as well, it is likely that you are going to be able to use them in your everyday office needs as well.

Finally, make sure that you keep the budget in mind when you are preparing for any type of meeting. Of course, the budget should not be the make or break a deal but it should be sufficient in order to provide you with everything necessary to get those individuals under one roof. Once you have things set up properly, you can begin planning for the meeting even further by sending out regular information, including reminders about the meeting and what is going to be discussed.